Cisco Headset 700 Series Review: From Work to Play

This latest headset range from Cisco has three noise cancellation modes and comes in platinum or carbon black options

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Cisco 700 Series
Headset Reviews

Published: March 2, 2020

Anwesha Roy

Technology Reporter

When we think Cisco, headsets probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised when in November of 2019, Cisco introduced its new 700 Series – headsets designed to go seamlessly from your personal to professionals sphere.

Cisco recognises that today’s employees are largely mobile, working out of their favourite coffee shops, the neighbourhood pub, a noisy airport, or a home office with constant distractions. That’s why it wanted a telephony device that lets you stay productive, no matter where you are. The Cisco Headset 700 Series is an upgrade on the earlier 560 Series and quite a major upgrade at that.

Let’s review its features and capabilities in greater detail.

Inside the Cisco Headset 700 Series

The headset launch is just the beginning. Cisco has a robust technology roadmap planned over the next few months, which includes end-to-end call diagnostics and advanced user analytics. Here are some of the features you can expect from the Cisco Headset 700 Series:

  • Clear Voice technology – This is the biggest differentiator for any competitive headset offering. Cisco gets it just right with its voice-honing, boom-less technology, background noise reduction and adaptive noise cancellation. You can take calls confidently from any location and streamline collaboration
  • Bluetooth 5.0 – The Cisco Headset 700 Series has a whopping 213ft (65m) Bluetooth range, which means that you can comfortably move around in large spaces while taking a call. Bluetooth profiles include Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Hands-Free Profile (HFP), and Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for maximum functionalities – you can connect two devices at the same time
  • Smart sensors – Operating the Cisco Headset 700 Series is a delightful experience with its ability to recognise contextual movements. This lets you play/pause music automatically, answer calls, or go on mute. We were impressed by the mute notification feature – the headset sends you a notification if it detects your voice when the microphone is muted
  • Security – The headset comes with image authentication so that only Cisco AES-128 bit key is allowed. The boot process is also secure.
  • Mobile app – Cisco bundles a mobile application to configure and manage headset functionalities. This also gives you access to various Cisco endpoints and apps without any additional pricing component. The addition of voice activation support (Google Assistant, Siri, or Cortana) is also a nice touch
  • Noise cancellation modes – With the Headset 700 Series, Cisco takes noise cancellation one (or should we say three?) step further. There are three modes for its hybrid, four-microphone setup: adaptive to the current environment, manual setting via the mobile app, and ambient, so you can continue to hear conversations around you. The last mode would be particularly useful for professionals with children working from home
  • Battery – the Cisco Headset 700 Series boasts of up to 20 hours of talk time and 25 hours of listening time, with noise cancellation activated. It takes 2.5 hours for the headset to get fully charged – but you can also quick-charge it for 10 minutes to get out 1 hour of usage, in case of an emergency

Why Cisco Headset 700 Series Makes a Difference

There’s no denying it: Cisco Headset 700 Series is a compelling choice for remote workers who regularly collaborate with their colleagues, clients, partners, and other stakeholders.

What sets it apart in a crowded marketplace, is its form factor. On the surface, the Cisco Headset 700 Series looks exactly like a personal device, designed to listen to music or consume audiobooks. However, it packs quite a punch under the hood and can meet almost every professional requirement.

And if aesthetics a determining factor (and it definitely is!) the Cisco Headset 700 Series comes in platinum or carbon black finish. For those who are eager to intersect the personal and the professionals with a one-stop headset solution, the 700 Series deserves a look.

What We Think

At the end of the day, we all want a powerful headset that can handle media consumption and business telephony with equal ease. The Cisco Headset 700 Series comes as close to this goal as possible. There are no cumbersome wires, the charging time is remarkably low, and you can connect two Bluetooth devices as well as a USB device, all at the same time.

We expect this relatively new offering from the house of Cisco to quickly gain popularity, thanks to its intelligent combination of hardware, software, and industrial design.

 

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